opy 




Book i JVsLj- 



Section 
Number 



En iKtemortattu 



A 

TKIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 

OF 

MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS, 

OF 

WINDSOR PLACE, 

LANCASTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA. 

EY THE 

KEY. JOHN LEAMAN, M. R, 

PASTOR OF THE CHURCH OF CEDAR GROVE. 



JOSEPH M. WILSON, 

NO. 27 SOUTH TENTH STREET, BELOW CHESTNUT.. 
1857. 



"The Heir of Heaven! henceforth I fear not de 
In Christ I live, in Christ I draw the breath 
Of the true life. Let, then, earth, sea and sky 
Make war against me ! On my heart I shoic 
Their mighty Master's seal. In vain they try 
To end my life, that can but end its woe. 
Is that a death-bed where a Christian lies ? 
Yes! but not his, — 'tis death himself there dies." 



ir £iol t?j AtaO^xr^. — Acts in. 25. 



To a grateful sense of many happy scenes around 
a mother's fireside this imperfect sketch owes its 
origin. On the day of the funeral of the author's 
lamented and much valued friend, the late Mrs. 
Catharine M. Jenkins, he received from her daugh- 
ters and sons-in-law, a very kind and flattering 
communication, requesting a copy of the sermon 
delivered on that occasion, together with a more 
extended biographical sketch of their departed 
mother, to be preserved by them as a memorial of 
the past. 

With the consciousness of inability to delineate 
her character as it should be done, to meet the eye 
of those whose filial affection prompted the request, 
the author, as her friend and pastor, undertakes 



8 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



the work. Though gifted and cultivated minds 
may meet with many defects in the performance 
of this duty, he rests with confidence in their in- 
dulgence, inasmuch as many historical facts shall 
thus be rescued from oblivion, and the various 
scenes through which their honoured mother passed 
be embalmed in their recollection. 

As we view the eventful life of Mrs. Jenkins, 
in the light cast upon it by the history of her an- 
cestors, we cannot fail to see the hand of God 
moulding her destiny, and extending to her, from 
distant generations, the blessings of the covenant. 
This feature in her biography gives it an absorbing 
interest. It illustrates, as far as human observa- 
tion can extend, the words of the Psalmist, " The 
mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlast- 
ing, upon them that fear him, and his righteous- 
ness unto children! 's children; to such as keep his 
co venaiity and to those that remember his com- 
mandments to do them" Ps. ciii. 17-18. 

In order to unfold this feature in the dealings 
of Providence towards her, it will be necessary to 
premise her history with a brief delineation of the 
character of her ancestors. 

In the year 1737, while a vessel, from Scotland, 
bound for the city of New York, was riding calmly 



OF MRS CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 



9 



on the bosom of the Atlantic, near the American 
coast, a squall suddenly struck the sails, and pre- 
cipitated into the water a little child who had been 
playing upon the deck. In a few moments he was 
rescued from his perilous position, and placed in 
the arms of his heart-stricken parents. This child 
was John Carmichael. He was, at this time, nine 
years of age. The same kind Providence, by whom 
he was thus rescued from the dark waters, directed 
his course through a long and eventful life, and 
made him the honoured instrument of accomplish- 
ing much good. He became at length the pastor 
of the Presbyterian church of the Forks of Brandy- 
wine, Chester County, Pennsylvania, and the father 
of Mrs. Catharine M. Jenkins. 

In his Bible are the following records made by 
himself. "From the accounts of my father's old 
Bible, I find that I was born in Tarbert, in Arguile 
Shire, in the Highlands of the kingdom of Scot- 
land, on the 17th of October, (old style) 1728, of 
Presbyterian parents of the Church of Scotland, 
and was baptized by the Rev. Daniel Cambal, in 
my infancy. My father was Daniel Carmichael; 
my mother, Elizabeth Alexander, of Glasgow. 
They lived well in the world, and had a good free- 
hold. My father held the office of bailiff under 



10 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



the Duke of Arguile, and was a magistrate of the 
Kirk Session^ &c. In the year 1737 he left Scot- 
land and migrated to this country." 

Among the private papers of Mr. Carmichael, 
now in the possession of the family of the late 
Mrs. Jenkins, we find the following statement. 
" My father, shortly after arriving at New York, 
removed to a Dutch settlement called Hackensack, 
in Bergen County, New Jersey. On account of 
the evil example presented before his family, espe- 
cially in the profanation of the Sabbath, he could 
not conscientiously remain in that place. He con- 
sequently removed to an English settlement, called 
Ward Session, four miles north-west of Newark. 
He and his family attended divine service in the 
Presbyterian Church of Newark, over which the 
Rev. Aaron Burr, then a young and eloquent 
preacher, presided as the pastor." 

During a revival of religion in this church, Mr. 
Carmichael became awakened. The impression 
thus received in the sanctuary, and deepened by 
the instructions and exhortations of a pious father, 
was accompanied by the power of the Holy Ghost, 
and resulted in the unreserved dedication of him- 
self to God. 

A short time after this, in July, 1745, his fa- 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 11 



ther, in the fifty-second year of his age, departed 
this life, and his remains were interred "in the 
old burying ground in old Whippany, in Morris 
County, New Jersey." The following extract from 
his diary, on this occasion, illustrates the character 
of his father. "His death gave me a great shock. 
It left me in the world, among strangers, without 
much of the good things of this life. In losing 
him I lost the main counsellor of my life, the re- 
strainer of my youthful extravagance, and my 
teacher in the things that relate to my everlasting 
well-being. His death was made very grievous to 
me by my absence, so that when I came to his bed- 
side he just knew me, and bade me put my whole 
trust in the Lord, both for time and eternity." 
At the period of his father's decease, young Car- 
michael had almost reached the seventeenth year 
of his age. 

Ten years after this, in 1755, he entered the 
college of New Jersey, at Princeton, and finally 
graduated in August, 1759. Immediately after 
receiving the honours of this Institution he com- 
menced the study of Theology, under the direction 
of the President of the College, the Eev. Samuel 
Davies, D. D. 

Eight months after this period his mother de- 



12 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



parted this life, in the sixtieth year of her age. 
Her remains were laid beside the ashes of her hus- 
band. In regard to this painful providence he 
leaves the following record. "April 13th, 1760. 
I have just returned to my study after the burial 
of my dear aged mother, who departed this life on 
Lord's day morning, April 6th, in the full exercise 
of her reason: but what is superior to every other 
consideration, to all appearance in the full exercise 
of saving faith in the dear Redeemer. She went 
triumphing into the New Jerusalem. When a 
soul is about to enter eternity, it is not its interest 
to wear a visor, therefore I must believe her tri- 
umph over death, real. She had frequent doubts 
in life; but, when death approached, heaven shone 
in upon her soul, so that she could adopt the lan- 
guage of the Apostle, death, where is thy sting? 
grave, where is thy victory? With her, the 
storms that rage in this lower world are blown 
over, and will molest her no more. She is eman- 
cipated from all doubts, freed from all pains, deli- 
vered from all fears, and happy beyond expression, 
away from the vicissitudes of time. I must cease, 
then, to mourn an angel, whom I loved as a mo- 
ther. Let me rather imitate her virtues, especially 
her humility, in which she shone conspicuously. 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 13 



She left me no other legacy but her pious example 
for imitation. I have lost from earth, a mother, 
who frequently poured out her soul in prayer for 
me. They still live, though she is dead. May 
Jesus make intercession for me; and now, that my 
father and mother are gone, may my Heavenly 
Father, who ever lives, take me up, and be my 
guide. I was baptized in my infancy; born of 
religious parents, who, with their departing breath, 
gave testimony to the truth of our holy religion; 
and, as far as I can trace generations bade, can 
claim the covenant blessings. By the kindness of 
Heaven I have received a liberal education, and 
am just entering on the ministry. my Re- 
deemer! be thou with me in the great work to 
which, in thy providence, thou art calling me. 
Make me an instrument to win souls to Christ, and 
the glory shall be thine for ever and ever." 

In this record we notice the blessings of the 
covenant descending in the line of his ancestry, 
from distant generations, and now resting on him- 
self. Gen. xvii. 7: "1 will establish my covenant 
between me and thee, and thy seed after thee, in 
their generations, for an everlasting covenant; to 
be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee" 

May 8th, 1760, one month after the death of 
2 



14 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



Lis mother, Mr. Carmichael was licensed by the 
Presbytery of New Brunswick, to preach the gos- 
pel. April 13th, 1761, about one year after his 
licensure, he received a communication from the 
session of the Presbyterian Church of the Forks of 
Brandywine, Chester County, Pennsylvania, en- 
treating him to accept a call which that congrega- 
tion had placed in his hands. As the ground of 
their solicitude they state, that they had suffered 
very nruch. from the want of a pastor, from the 
disaffection of some of their members, and from a 
sect of seceders about to be organized among them; 
and that he was, in their estimation, the only man 
who could heal their difficulties, and restore them 
to a state of harmony and prosperity. Their letter 
closes with the following words; "Now, dear Sir, 
we would unitedly renew our application to you in 
the language of Ruth to Naomi: 'Entreat us not 
to leave thee, or to return from following after 
thee/ in earnest supplications, to take the pastoral 
charge of our souls, and those of our children. 
May you be impressed with a just view of our needy 
case, so as to determine your settlement here; and 
may God preside over the whole, that his glory 
may be advanced, and his young servant made to 
rejoice in seeing the pleasure of the Lord prosper 
in his hand." 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 



15 



After the reception of this letter Mr. Carniichael 
accepted the call, and, on the 20th day of the same 
month, made in his diary the following record. 
"I desire to set apart this day to fasting and 
prayer, to implore the divine aid upon my arduous 
work of undertaking the charge of the souls of the 
congregation of the Forks of Brandywine." Three 
days after this, April 23d, 1761, he was ordained 
to the gospel ministry, and installed the pastor of 
this Church. 

May 8th, 1761, fifteen days after his installation 
over this charge, he was united in matrimony to 
Miss Phebe Crane, of Newark, New Jersey, "a 
branch of a very pious family, and herself a true 
friend of religion." Through this alliance he be- 
came the father of three sons and one daughter. 
The latter, Miss Phebe Carmichael, is still in our 
midst, as a devoted, meek, and humble follower of 
J esus Christ, and a much esteemed member of the 
Presbyterian Church of Cedar Grove. In connex- 
ion with the record of her birth, made by her 
father, in his Bible, we find the following ejacula- 
tion: "Oh, may she live for God, under the sweet 
influence of the Holy Spirit 1 /' This prayer, thus 
offered to a faithful and merciful Father, has been 
most clearly and abundantly answered. 



16 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



The first thirteen years of Mr, CarmichaeFs 
ministerial labours were marked by many evidences 
of his Master's blessing. The dissensions in his 
congregation were healed, and many souls were 
added to the church. While the pleasure of the 
Lord was thus prospering in his hand, his fireside 
shared, in the common lot of humanity, the min- 
gled scenes of joys and sorrows. He was called 
to see the fell destroyer, in consumption's ghastly 
form, seize upon the partner of his bosom. He 
witnessed her last conflict, as the messenger of 
death laid his icy hand upon her. He heard, from 
her lips, the voice of triumph, ere her gentle 
spirit, resting with unwavering confidence on the 
righteousness of Christ, passed away from its 
earthly tenement. 

Again, as time, with all its changing scenes, was 
swiftly flowing onward into eternity, another dark 
cloud suddenly gathers over his domestic circle. 
Catharine Mustard, to whom he had been united 
in matrimony on June 2, 1773, as his second wife, 
is lying on the bed of death. One year and two 
months she had shared with him the vicissitudes 
of life; and now, on the 5th day of August, 1774, 
—thirteen years after the commencement of his 
pastoral labours, he stands at her bedside, marking 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 17 

the approach of the last enemy. Her little daugh- 
ter, her first-born, thirteen days old, is reposing in 
its nurse's arms, unconscious of the yearning of its 
mother's heart towards it, unconscious of the scald- 
ing tears flowing over her cheek, unconscious that 
the eyes now resting upon it, with the depth of af- 
fection known only to a mother, are growing dim 
in death. This little child was Catharine M. Car* 
michael, whose remains we have recently committed 
to the tomb, as Mrs. Catharine M. Jenkins. She 
was born July 23, 1774, and was baptized by the 
Rev. Robert Smith, D. J)., on the evening after her 
mother's decease. 

In relation to this painful providence, the afflicted 
pastor left the following record. "I bless God that 
this child is a daughter, to bear the name of her 
mother. Alas, into what grief and deep-felt de- 
pression, my poor heart is now plunged. I am in 
a very sea of sorrows ; but I will, with David, cry 
to God Most High, who performeth all things for 
me. Oh, my heart-stricken, thirsty soul! run thou 
to the fountain, God, when the stream is thus dried 
up." The remains of Mrs. Carmichael were con- 
ducted to the grave by a large concourse of friends; 
and, after the interment, a sermon suitable to the 
occasion was preached by the Rev. William Foster? 
2* 



18 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



from Rev. xiv. 18, — "Blessed are the dead ivhich 
die in the Lord" In relation to her character as 
a follower of Jesus Christ, her bereaved husband 
says: — a Oh, to be able to imitate her unfeigned 
piety, and ripen, as she did, for the upper world! 
My heart has many comforting considerations in 
this affliction. I am as sure of her happiness as I 
can be without an immediate divine revelation." 

We have now arrived at the period of our narra- 
tive, in which we are required to view the pastor 
of the Church of the Forks of Brandywine, in the 
character of a patriot and philanthropist. The great 
Revolutionary War, which resulted in the indepen- 
dence of our country, had now commenced. It was 
a time in which the firmness of the human heart 
was tried to its utmost, — a time in which every 
friend of civil and religious liberty felt under obli- 
gation to do all he could for his country; and die, 
if necessary, in her defence. We know not how 
much we are indebted to the labours and prayers 
of God's people, and especially of ministers of the 
gospel, for the success of our arms ; and the stability 
of those noble institutions through which the rich 
blessings of heaven have been bestowed upon us. 
Presbyterian ministers were almost invariably found 
among the most ardent friends of liberty. In this 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 19 



cause Mr. Carniicliael embarked, with all the energy 
and ardour of bis temperament. As be entered, 
with bis whole heart, upon this work, his congre- 
gation were moved by his exhortation and example. 
They all caught the name of his enthusiasm, and 
resolved to do what they could. While the men 
resorted to the battle field, the pastor taught their 
mothers, wives, and sisters to till the ground. 

Mr. Carmichael employed all the means within 
his reach to encourage the army. He literally 
stripped his house of every article that could be 
useful to the soldiers. In the midst of their suf- 
fering, at Valley Forge, he describes to his people 
their destitution in regard to food and clothing: 
and inquires, "Have you nothing more to give for 
the subsistence of those who are fighting for your 
homes and the homes of your children ? " In reply 
to this, they say, "We have given all we can pos- 
sibly spare from our houses, and what more can we 
do?" The pastor answers, "One thing more you 
can do. You can divest yourselves of every super- 
fluity of dress, and send it to the army." 

A few years ago the author had the pleasure of 
perusing at Windsor Place, a letter written by 
General Washington, at Valley Forge, to the Eev. 
John Carmichael, returning his acknowledgment 



20 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



to him and his congregation for this generous and 
timely donation of clothing, and other necessaries 
for the army. 

His prayers for the freedom of his country con- 
stantly ascended from the family altar and the pul- 
pit. Whenever ah opportunity presented itself, 
he preached to the soldiers, and encouraged them 
with the hope that God was with them. On one 
occasion, he and the Kev. Robert Smith, D. D.> 
remained with the army until the conflict had been 
commenced. This was at the battle of Brooklyn. 
In his diary under the date of 1775, he has left 
the following record. u I was this summer called 
to preach in the borough of Lancaster. The mili- 
tia of the town requested me to preach a military 
sermon. Accordingly, I endeavoured to prove de- 
fensive war lawful, both from reason and Scripture. 
The gentlemen requested a copy of my sermon for 
the press, which I granted. It was reprinted in 
Philadelphia. I desire to give G-od all the glory, 
if he enables me to give, even a mite, as an offering 
to aid the great American cause against tyranny 
and wicked usurpation." 

The following incident illustrates his zeal for the 
liberty of his country. From the records in his 
Bible, we learn, that on the 24th of April, 1775, 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 21 



he was united in matrimony to Miss Sallie Blair, 
daughter of the Eev. Samuel Blair of Fagg's Ma- 
nor, as his third wife. Immediately after this re- 
cord, we find the following: — "On Saturday, the 
18th of October, 1777, at nine o'clock, A. M., my 
fourth son, — and first living son by my present 
wife, Mrs. Sallie Carmichael, Washington Gates, 
was born; and since it pleased the great God of 
providence to ordain, that this son should be born 
the very day and hour of the day, on which Lieu- 
tenant General Burgoyne and his whole army had 
to come forth, and ground their arms, and resign 
themselves prisoners of war to these United States 
of America; and, as Major General Gates was an 
instrument in the hands of a kind Providence to 
effect this grand achievement; and, as our great 
and judicious Commander-in-Chief, General Wash- 
ington, still continues to persevere, in the midst of 
many difficulties, to head the American host, and 
superintend and give orders for the whole, — I have 
thought it my duty, as a memorial of these things, 
to call my son, as above, Washington Gates." 

In this connexion we may mention that immedi- 
ately following this record, in Mr. CarmichaePs 
Bible, are the names of two daughters; one of whom, 
Mrs. Francina Allen, is still in our midst, a much 



22 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



esteemed member of the Presbyterian Church. She 
spent much of her time in the family circle of her 
elder half-sister, at Windsor, where she was always 
a welcome guest. 

In relation to Mr. Carmichael as a pastor and 
patriot, the Rev. J. N. C. Grier, D. D., the pre- 
sent pastor of the Church of the Forks of Brandy- 
wine, in an historical sketch of his congregation, thus 
remarks. "The Rev. John Carmichael was an elo- 
quent man, in his day, and mighty in the Scrip- 
tures. He was a man of ardent feelings; and what 
he did, he did with his might. He was the pastor 
of this congregation during the whole of the great 
American Revolution; and like most of the Pres- 
byterian clergy of that day, he espoused the cause 
of his country, like one who would rather perish, 
battling for freedom, than live a slave. He was 
long spared to the affections and prayers of his 
people, going in and out before them as a burning 
and a shining light, breaking to them the bread of 
life; and being an example to the flock, over which 
the Holy Ghost had made him overseer, ever call- 
ing upon them to be followers of him, even as he 
also was of Christ." 

" The congregation increased under his ministry, 
which lasted above twenty-four years. He died 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 



23 



greatly respected, and deeply lamented by his peo- 
ple; and having, in all the churches of his Presby- 
tery, the reputation of a man thoroughly furnished 
for his work." 

The following obituary presents before us the 
close of his long and eventful life. "Died, on the 
15th day of November, 1785, the Rev. John Car- 
michael, aged fifty-seven years and one month. 
Until the period of his last illness his strength to 
perform Divine service was remarkable; and seemed 
a fulfilment of his wishes and prayers, that those 
powers with which the Lord Jesus had endowed 
him, might be spent in his Master's service; and 
that he might not survive his usefulness. The 
disease that caused his death was brought on, by 
the fatigue and cold he underwent in assisting the 
Rev. Robert Smith, D. D., of Pequea, at his Sacra- 
ment of the Lord's Supper. The Sabbath follow- 
ing, which was two before his death, — he adminis- 
tered the Sacrament to his own congregation. He 
told them, as he served the last table, that it ap- 
peared to him he should not drink wine again with 
them, until he should drink it anew in his Father's 
kingdom. The exercises of that day, and the ex- 
posure in returning home in the evening, through 
a storm of rain, together with the debility produced 



24 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



by former fatigues, gave rise to an attack of pleu- 
risy, "which baffled all the virtues of medicine." 

"He bore his pain and distresses of body, with 
true courage and Christian fortitude. He was sen- 
sible to his last moments, and talked a great deal 
on matters of religion, — desiring those of his con- 
gregation who prayed with him, to thank God in 
their prayers, for the light of his countenance, and 
for the singular comfort he had experienced during 
his illness. He often wished that he might, if it 
pleased the Lord, be enabled to preach again; though 
it should be but one sermon. His last expression 
was, 'If I had a thousand tongues, I would employ 
them all in inviting sinners to Christ/ He spake 
these words just before his exit, and reposed on the 
merits of Christ his Saviour, who, we doubt not, 
has presented him with a crown of glory. " 

Such was the closing scene of the life of Mr. 
Carmichael. He had been the pastor of the church 
of the Forks of Brandy wine from April 23, 1761, 
to the period of his decease — the space of twenty- 
four years and seven months. His remains were 
interred in the church-yard of the congregation 
over which he had presided, and moulder beside the 
ashes of the two successive partners of his bosom, 
who had preceded him to the eternal world. 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 25 

In his death-chamber was presented a scene of 
deep and painful interest. His sorrowing friends, 
who came to witness the departure of their aged 
pastor, beheld around his bed, a group of his loved 
ones, marking the approach of the ruthless foe. 
Here were John Flavel and Phebe, the surviving 
children of his first wife. Here was his third wife, 
with a son and two daughters, Washington Gates, 
Elizabeth, and Francina. Here stood the one whose 
ashes we have lately committed to the tomb, the 
sole representative of her departed mother, Catha- 
rine Mustard. She was, now, eleven years and 
four months old. When she was an infant of thir- 
teen days, her mother sank into the arms of death; 
but she knew not that mother, and sympathized not 
with the heart that was yearning over her. Now 
she has reached a period more mature, and the 
dark cloud that is lowering upon her is seen and 
felt in all its dread reality. 

After the dying father gives to each of his chil- 
dren his parting blessing, and commends them to 
his covenant God, he says, in reference to his 
daughters; "I place Phebe under the care of her 
brother John Flavel; I resign Elizabeth and Fran- 
cina into the hands of their mother, and brother 
Washington Gates: but to whom shall I give Ca- 
3 



26 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



tharine?" After a moment's pause lie says, u I 
give her to the Lord. 77 

As this little group turn away, with bleeding 
hearts, from this death chamber, one young bosom, 
especially, thrills with a sense of desolation. She 
is left alone in the world. Her father, her coun- 
sellor, her confidant, her all is gone. As she looks 
into the future, — Oh, how dark! The writhing 
heart sends scalding tears over those young cheeks. 

Weep not, lone one— thy father's words are re- 
corded in heaven— thou art given to the Lord — 
thou art the child of providence — the angel of 
the Lord encampeth round about thee. 

In 1790, five years after this painful period in 
her history, we find her a member of the family 
of the Rev. Robert Smith, D. D., who was, by 
marriage, the uncle of her departed father. In 
this happy family she met with a congenial home, 
and in the learned and devoted pastor of Pequea, 
a friend and father. This is the period of her first 
acquaintance with the Presbyterian Church of 
Cedar Grove, — that church in which she subse- 
quently worshipped almost two-thirds of a century, 
and from the communion of which, she was at last 
removed to the General Assembly and Church of 
the first-born in the upper sanctuary. 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 27 

The church of Cedar Grove, which had been 
founded in 1775, as a branch of that of Pequea, 
under the pastoral charge of Dr. Smith, had now 
completed the fifteenth year of its existence. To 
this field Dr. Smith devoted one-fourth of his mi- 
nisterial labours, and when the Sabbath, on which 
he had engaged to preach in this place, arrived, he 
was generally accompanied by this child of pro- 
vidence. During their rides, on horseback, across 
the Welsh Mountain to the Conestoga Y alley, in 
which this house of Grod was located, the pastor 
frequently embraced the opportunity of directing 
the thoughts of his young charge to her responsi- 
bility to her heavenly Father, and to the necessity 
of dedicating her heart to him. 

At length the truth was followed by the influ- 
ence of the Holy Spirit, and produced an impres- 
sion on her mind, which finally resulted in the un- 
reserved consecration of herself to the service of 
the Lord. In the fall of 1792, she was received 
as a member of the Presbyterian Church of Pe- 
quea. She was, at this time, a young lady of 
eighteen years of age. Her covenant vows made, 
on this occasion, were never forgotten; and, from 
this period to the time of her departure to the 
upper sanctuary, we can clearly trace in her cha- 



28 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



racter, the predominance of love to God and to Iiis 
church. 

A few months before the death of Dr. Smith, 
which occurred on the 15th of April, 1793, Miss 
Carmichael, at the request of the Rev. Nathanael 
W. Sample, of Strasburg, Lancaster County, a 
distant relative, exchanged her place of residence 
for that of his family. Here she remained until 
1799. At this time she received an invitation 
from a wealthy and intelligent family, residing in 
the vicinity of the church at Pequea, to make 
their house her home. This very kind and cor- 
dial invitation she gratefully accepted. In a letter 
to her half-sister Phebe, dated, Pequea, June 7, 
1799, she says: "I am no longer an inhabitant of 
Strasburg. I bade adieu to that place the last 
week of March, and am now a member of Mr. 
Daniel Buckley's family, whose forge and farm, 
you may recollect, we passed in going from Stras- 
burg to Brandy wine. It is a charming situation 
in the summer; and, if I may judge of the time 
to come by what is past, I have every reason to ex- 
pect much happiness. Mr. and Mrs. Buckley 
treat me with all the attention and kindness I could 
expect from relations, and express the greatest 
pleasure in seeing and entertaining my friends and 
acquaintances." 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 29 

The cheerful, amiable, happy disposition of Miss 
Cannichael, rendered her an interesting compa- 
nion to Mr. and Mrs. Buckley, and soon their 
friendship for her grew into parental attachment. 
Their affection was fully reciprocated by this child 
of providence, and produced in her bosom an 
impression which she gratefully cherished, and 
which neither time nor circumstances ever oblite- 
rated. 

We have now arrived at one of the most inte- 
resting periods of her history. In September, 
1799, a large concourse of youthful, happy friends 
are assembled in the hospitable mansion of Mr. 
Buckley. A rich and splendid entertainment is 
provided; and, while every eye rests on Miss Car- 
michael as the chief attraction in this circle, the 
Rev. William Arthur, the successor of her former 
pastor, and spiritual father, Dr. Smith, unites her 
in the bonds of matrimony, to Mr. Robert Jen- 
kins, the proprietor of Windsor Place. 

While this happy pair are receiving the warm 
congratulations of their friends, let us view the 
ancestry of Mr. Jenkins. In 1700 his great-grand- 
father, David Jenkins, migrated from Wales to the 
city of Philadelphia, and finally settled near the 
Great V alley Church, in Chester County. His 
3* 



30 A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 

son John, anxious to become acquainted with the 
resources of his adopted country, penetrated more 
deeply into the forest, and directing his course to 
the banks of the Conestoga, in Lancaster County, 
finally selected the site on which the Windsor 
Forges have since been erected. Resolving to 
make this spot his home, he put up a temporary 
dwelling near where now stands the Windsor Man- 
sion, and at length, entered into contract with 
John, Thomas, and Richard Penn, for the purchase 
of four hundred acres of land. January 10th, 
1733, this land was surveyed by order of the Go- 
vernment, and the patent about to be taken in 
the name of his son, Jenkin Jenkins; but for 
some reason, now unknown, the patent was never 
executed in form. Nine years after Mr. Jenkins 
had purchased this land, he sold it to Mr. William 
Branson, of Philadelphia. Mr. Branson took out 
a patent December 28th, 1742, erected the Wind- 
sor Forges and Mansion-house, and at last, sold all 
to Mr. David J enkins, son of the original proprie- 
tor. At 7m death it descended to his son, Mr. 
Robert Jenkins. 

In his last will and testament, dated March 27th, 
1797, the father of Mr. Robert Jenkins bequeathed 
to him, three thousand acres in the vicinity of 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 31 



Churchtown, embracing Windsor Place. This 
was two years and six months before his marriage 
to Miss Carmichael. 

Let us now return to the subject of our narra- 
tive. 

" Oh ! married love ! — each heart shall own, 
Where two congenial souls unite, 
Thy golden chains inlaid with down, 

Thy lamp with heaven's own splendour bright." 

This child OF providence was the partner of 
one whose amiable, generous disposition coincided 
with her own. Their happy alliance, the result of 
mutual affection, transferred to her control the 
domestic economy of Windsor Place. Here was 
an ample field for the exercise of her piety and 
energy. The first impulse of her heart was to 
consecrate to the Lord the influence of the com- 
manding position in which her Heavenly Father 
had placed her. With extensive possessions at 
her disposal, she used every means to render her 
hospitable mansion a favourite retreat for the 
pious and the learned. When she contracted an 
acquaintance with any of the ministers of the 
gospel, she never failed to give them a cordial in- 
vitation to visit the " Preacher's Hotel." In con- 



32 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



sequence of her kindness thus extended, her house 
was the constant resort of ministers of every deno- 
mination who passed that way. 

She was extensively acquainted with the periodi- 
cal religious literature of the day, and her centre- 
table was the repository of all available sources of 
information on that subject. While it afforded 
her the greatest pleasure to entertain the people of 
God, her society was highly prized, on account of 
her cheerful disposition, ardent piety, and culti- 
vated mind. Many of the servants of Christ, in our 
own and foreign lands, remember, with unalloyed 
pleasure, the cheerful hospitality and agreeable 
society of Mrs. Jenkins. In a letter from the Rev. 
Benjamin Schneider, a missionary of the American 
Board, dated Broosa, foot of Mount Olympus, 
Asia Minor, Sept. 5th, 1834, we find the following 
expression of his feelings towards her. " The in- 
terview which we had with you and your family 
was very short, but it left a deep and indelible im- 
pression upon our hearts. The interest you ex- 
pressed in that precious cause to which we have 
devoted our lives, and the sympathy you evinced 
towards us, as individuals, we shall never forget. 
It has created a bond of endearment to you, which 
will not easily be dissolved. We think of you 



OF MRS CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 



33 



much, and often talk of the short, but very agree- 
able visit we made to your circle. Would that we 
could have tarried a little longer, and been some- 
what more filled with your company. But a wise 
providence had ordered it otherwise. We shall, 
however, often be with you in spirit, and hold com- 
munion with you. May God's blessing, in all its 
fulness and richness, rest upon you and your be- 
loved family, and may He gather them all into his 
Heavenly Kingdom, and there may we all meet to 
glorify and enjoy him forever." 

While Mrs. Jenkins rendered Windsor Place a 
favourite resort of the pious and the learned, she 
used every means to meliorate the condition and 
elevate the character of her dependants. Her 
husband was extensively engaged in cultivating 
his lands, and carrying on the forges, and had, 
necessarily, a number of hands in his employment. 
In all his endeavours to do them good he was 
assisted by her counsel and efforts. 

At this period of the history of this section of 
our country, vice and immorality stalked abroad in 
high and low places. The wine-cup and the gam- 
bling-table, were the chief sources of amusement 
among many of the rich and influential; and the 
rum-bottle, among those in the humbler walks of 



34 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



life. In the midst of all this ; what could a tender 
female do ? With that energy and decision which 
had attended her during all the vicissitudes of the 
past ; Mrs. Jenkins resolved to do what she could. 
An opportunity soon presented itself to call forth 
her efforts. The hands engaged about the farm 
and forges frequently came to the table, at their 
boarding-house, in a state of intoxication. Mr. 
Jenkins, learning this fact, had endeavoured to 
reform them in this respect, but the temptation 
was too strong to yield to his efforts. Mrs. Jen- 
kins, at length, came to his assistance, and, with 
all the influence of female eloquence, portrayed to 
the offenders the injury they were doing to them- 
selves, and the great sin they were committing 
against that kind Being whom she adored as her 
God. These admonitions proving ineffectual, she 
resolved to employ more decisive means. She 
obtained, through one of the domestics, the bottles 
in which the hands kept their rum. When the 
dining hour arrived that day, they were surprised 
and chagrined to see their bottles standing in a 
row upon the table, with their precious contents 
reflecting through the glass. At this moment Mrs. 
Jenkins enters the room, and in her usual, cheer- 
ful manner, says, she is in possession of a number 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 85 

of bottles belonging to them, which she desires to 
restore to their respective owners, and hopes they 
will now come and take them. As none of the 
offenders were willing to acknowledge the ownership 
of the bottles, under existing circumstances, she 
says : — " They are now in my possession, and, 
as you will not take them, they are, of course, at 
my disposal." She then conveys them to an open 
window, and strikes them against the wall until 
they fall in shivers upon the ground. The bottles 
being demolished and their contents thus destroyed, 
she turns to the men and says, in a mild but deci- 
ded manner, "If they be replaced by others, they 
shall share the same fate." 

She used all her influence to oppose vice, not 
only among her dependants, but among those also 
who moved in the higher walks of life. Every 
sphere of society in which she mingled felt her 
influence. She was as remarkable for the fearless- 
ness of her heart, as for piety and refinement. 
Immorality never escaped her disapprobation, no 
matter what were the circumstances with which it 
was associated. More than once were the cards 
and wine-cup, with much reluctance, removed from 
the social circle as the approach of Mrs. Jenkins 
was announced. 



36 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



The following incident will illustrate her zeal 
for religion, and her fearlessness of character. In 
the winter of 1808, while Mr. Jenkins was a mem- 
ber of Congress, Mrs. Jenkins remained with him 
at Washington. At a levee, while she and a num- 
ber of ladies of her acquaintance were conversing 
with President Jefferson, one of the ladies referred 
to a sermon that had been preached the previous 
Sabbath, in the presence of the President, on the 
text, " God is love" The discourse had been con- 
sidered rather inferior, and this lady evidently re- 
ferred to it, with the view of indulging in a sar- 
casm against the volume from which the text was 
taken. She had been, formerly, a member of the 
church, but her admiration of the talents and in- 
fluence of Mr. Jefferson induced her to embrace 
his skepticism, and renounce all belief in a Di- 
vine revelation. She, at length, inquired of the 
President how he liked the discourse. "Oh," says 
he, with a significant smile, "ladies are fond of 
love, and, of course, I approve of the subject." 
As this lady seemed to enjoy, with unusual zest, the 
remark of Mr. Jefferson, and, as the other ladies 
seemed to sympathize with her, Mrs. Jenkins felt 
that her duty to her Heavenly Father forbade her 
to be silent. When a sacred truth of God's word 



OE MRS CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 



37 



was made an object of ridicule, she felt called 
upon, as a disciple of Jesus Christ, to defend it. 
She immediately replied to the President, with the 
calm dignity of a soul rising above the influence 
of earthly distinction, and yet with the modesty 
and respect due to the person whom she addressed. 
She expressed her views and feelings on the sub- 
ject of God's love, and his revelation to our fallen 
world. Her remarks were followed by an expres- 
sive silence, and she had the gratification of find- 
ing that, even in the halls of Washington, an 
humble, but decided follower of Christ, could gain 
access to the conscience. 

Let us, now, view the subject of this biographi- 
cal sketch, under another aspect. At the death 
of her father she was eleven years and four months 
old. The intense interest with which he studied 
the political condition of our country gave her an 
impulse, even in childhood, to read and learn what 
she could on this subject. In all the scenes 
through which the young Eepublic passed, she 
followed its history; and, at the maturer periods of 
her life, she was extensively acquainted with the 
character and labours of political men. Her resi- 
dence at Washington, doubtless, awakened in her 
bosom a more lively interest on this subject; but 
4 



38 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



the great object that induced her to study the 
character of public men, and the influence of the 
legislative measures they adopted, was, that she 
might ascertain the bearing of our civil institutions 
on the advancement of religion. She endeavoured 
to dedicate her political knowledge, as she did her 
possessions, to the Lord. 

In her intercourse with public men of distinc- 
tion, she invariably introduced the subject of reli- 
gion, in order to ascertain their personal views on 
a theme ever dear to her heart, and a theme which 
she regarded as intimately associated with our na- 
tional prosperity. To a mind imbued like her's, 
with the principles of divine truth, nothing could 
be more clear than the inspired proverb, "Right- 
eousness exalteth a nation" 

The following interesting narrative, from the 
pen of one who was present on the occasion to 
which it refers, illustrates the trait of her character 
which we have been endeavouring to delineate." 
"In the autumn of 1824, during the triumphal 
passage of Lafayette through our country, he was 
invited, by the inhabitants of Lancaster, Pennsyl- 
vania, to visit their place. One of the prominent 
citizens there, George B. Porter, Esq., afterwards 
governor of Michigan, had named an infant son 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 



89 



for him, and took the occasion of his visit to Lan- 
caster to have the babe baptized, and to have La- 
fayette present at the performance of the ceremony. 
Among the intimate friends of the family, who 
were invited to witness it, was Mrs. Jenkins of 
Windsor Place. The Rev. William Ashmead, 
pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Lancaster, 
to which Mr. Porter belonged, officiated, and the 
baptismal ceremony took place in Mr. Porter's 
parlour. 

"Mrs. Jenkins was a woman rather remarkable 
for the interest she took in the religious views of 
public men. Having great admiration for the 
character of Lafayette, she seized that occasion for 
opening a conversation with him on the subject of 
the church, and the cause of Christ. In the 
course of his remarks, he expressed the gratifica- 
tion he felt in witnessing the baptism, and spoke 
of its simplicity and solemnity, as being in accord- 
ance with his views of the spirit of true Christian- 
ity. He expressed his admiration of the clergy of 
our country; of their high moral influence; and of 
their patriotism during the Revolutionary War. 
Mrs. Jenkins replied that she was the daughter of 
a Presbyterian clergyman, who had taken a very 
ardent and active stand in the cause of liberty, and 



40 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



who, on occasions of his preaching to and visiting 
the army, had come into communication with Ge- 
neral Washington. After this conversation, she 
introduced to him some of her children, whom he 
addressed with a complimentary remark on the in- 
terest he felt in the descendants of the clergy, who 
had aided the cause of American independence." 

While Mrs. J enkins watched, with a keen eye 
and absorbing interest, the progress of religion, 
and the changing scenes of the political field at 
home, she felt a deep solicitude for the spiritual 
welfare of the benighted heathen. The mission- 
aries of the cross were never forgotten, either in 
her beneficence or prayers. She held a correspon- 
dence with those with whom she was acquainted; 
and many others, who never saw her face, have 
felt their hearts throb with gratitude to their friend 
at Windsor, for her liberal contributions to the 
cause in which they are engaged. 

Miss Maria Patten, now Mrs. Chamberlain of 
the Sandwich Island Mission, had been an intimate 
acquaintance of Mrs. Jenkins. When she resolved 
to dedicate herself to the service of the Lord in a 
foreign land, Mrs. Jenkins felt, in her undertaking, 
a special interest, and furnished the principal 
means of her outfit, in November, 1827. Subse- 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 41 



quently she contributed liberally towards her sup- 
port in that field of labour. Among her papers 
we notice a receipt for one hundred dollars, given 
by her, towards defraying the expense of the edu- 
cation of Mrs. Chamberlain's two sons, at East 
Hampton, Massachusetts, dated, Feb. 4th, 1843. 
In a number of letters received by her, from Mrs. 
Chamberlain, acknowledging the reception of boxes 
of clothing and other favours, we find the warmest 
expressions of personal attachment, and of heart- 
felt gratitude for her donations, prayers, and affec- 
tionate advice. 

While she was thus contributing to the comfort 
of others, and advancing the cause of her Redeemer 
at home and abroad, it afforded her the greatest 
happiness to mingle with the people of God in the 
service of the sanctuary. Though she loved the 
Presbyterian Church with all the ardour of her 
soul; and treasured its doctrines in her heart, as 
the summary of God's inspired word, she enjoyed, 
with true Christian charity, the religious worship 
of any denomination who rested on the atonement 
of Jesus Christ as the ground of salvation. She 
was well indoctrinated in Theology, and was fre- 
quently seen in the higher judicatories of her 
Church, as a deeply interested spectator. 

4* 



42 A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



In the year 1831, a protracted meeting was held 
in the borough of Strasburg, where she had spent 
several years of her early life, and on this account 
especially, she resolved to attend the meeting. 
As she drew near to the place, and entered a 
piece of woodland adjoining the borough, she 
called upon the driver of her carriage to stop. 
"Here," says she to her daughters, pointing to a 
stream of water flowing from a spring in the vi- 
cinity, "here I spent many an hour of my young 
days weeping over my orphaned condition. After 
pouring out the grief and solitude of my heart in 
tears, I bathed my face in this stream, lest, on en- 
tering the town, my sorrow should be detected. 
With a grateful sense of the kindness of my Hea- 
venly Father, I can now say like Jacob, i With 
my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am 
become two bands.' " 

The period at length arrived at which the Cedar 
Grove Church was separated from its mother of 
Pequea, and was organized as a distinct body. 
The Committee appointed by Presbytery to dis- 
charge this duty, met June 18th, 1839. Among 
the number who constituted this church, we find 
the names of Robert and Catharine M. Jenkins. 
The ancestors of Mr. Jenkins were among the 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 43 



supporters of this church at its origin, in 1775; 
and, during the whole of its subsequent history, 
the family maintained their connexion with it. 
Mrs. Jenkins had attended the worship of God in 
this house, with Dr. Robert Smith, in the days of 
her early youth; and her first religious impressions 
were associated with this spot. Mr. and Mrs. 
Jenkins now cast all their influence towards the 
sustaining of the gospel in this place. 

In 1842, three years after the organization of 
the Cedar Grove Church, while the Rev. Alfred 
Nevin, D.D., was the pastor, Robert and Catharine 
M. Jenkins, with the other descendants of David 
Jenkins, residing in the village of Churchtown, 
resolved on selecting a spot of ground for the burial 
of their dead. The site for this purpose having 
been chosen, they erected on it a building, in which 
the Presbyterians residing in that village and 
vicinity could have preaching on Sabbath after- 
noon, by the pastor of Cedar Grove. In 1843, 
the church, a neat stone structure, was completed, 
and dedicated to the service of Almighty God. 
On this occasion an appropriate and acceptable 
sermon was preached by the Rev. Alfred Hamilton, 
of the Presbytery of New Castle, on Ps. lxxxiv. 1: 
"How amiable are thy tabernacles, Lord of 



44 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



hosts!" From that day to the present, divine ser- 
vice has been regularly maintained in this house. 
August 19 th, 1846, it was incorporated under the 
title of the " Caernarvon Presbyterian Church of 
Lancaster County." 

November 19, 1846, a deed of conveyance for 
eighty-six perches of land, was made to the corpo- 
ration, by Robert and Catharine M. Jenkins, the 
proprietors of the tract on which the church edifice 
was erected. December 22d, 1846, a mortgage 
was given by the trustees, to Mrs. Catharine M. 
Jenkins, for the sum of six hundred and fifty-five 
dollars and seventy- three cents, advanced by her 
for the completion of the house. 

One year and four months after the above trans- 
action, a dark cloud of affiiction rests on the do- 
mestic circle of Windsor Place. Nearly forty-nine 
years the Hon. Robert Jenkins and the partner of 
his bosom had enjoyed the smiles of Providence, and 
now, the messenger of death is, for the first time, 
commissioned to invade this happy family. The 
head is taken. After having suffered about one 
year, under a paralytic affection, Mr. Jenkins, at 
the age of seventy-eight years and nine months, 
bade adieu to the scenes of earth to mingle in 
those of the eternal world. His ashes were laid 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 45 



in the graveyard of his own selection, and mingle 
with the earth in that sacred spot, which he was 
instrumental in having dedicated to the worship of 
the triune God. On a beautiful and expensive 
monument, that covers the ground in which he 
lies, is the following inscription : — • 

Robert Jenkins, 
Great-grandson of David Jenkins, 
Who emigrated from Wales, about the year 1700, 
Grandson of John Jenkins, 
Original proprietor of 
Windsor, 
Son of David and Martha Jenkins, 
Born at Windsor, July 10th, 1769. 
Departed this life, April 18th, 1848. 

One year after this aSlictive providence, the 
author of this sketch was called to take charge 
of the Cedar Grove Church. At this time his 
acquaintance with Mrs. Jenkins commenced. She 
had now completed the seventy-fifth year of her 
age. Her step was slightly enfeebled by the lapse 
of time; but, as the infirmities of life had begun 
to shatter the tenement, the spirit within was 
clinging with more ardent devotion to the God of 
her youth. Her whole attention seemed to be 
absorbed in the advancement of the Redeemer's 
kingdom. 



46 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



At this period her mind was directed, with re- 
newed interest, to the claims of benighted Africa. 
The Rev. George W. Simpson, a near nighbour, 
and a member of the Cedar Grove Church, sailed 
from New York, October 31st, 1849, as a mission- 
ary of the Presbyterian Board, and finally esta- 
blished, on the Island of Corisco, a missionary 
station. He was followed by her sympathies, 
prayers, and beneficence. Having been informed 
by him, that the Africans are peculiarly fond of 
music, she sends, with other donations, a melodeon, 
hoping that, through its influence, the natives may 
be attracted to the station, and be benefitted by 
the preaching of the gospel. 

While her attention was thus engaged in the 
cause of her Redeemer, another scene of deep 
affliction awaits her. Her son, Mr. David Jen- 
kins, who had been, since his father's decease, the 
proprietor of Windsor Place and Forges, was 
seized with a severe attack of enteritis, which, in 
a few days, terminated his life. His aged mother 
had hoped to spend the remainder of her days 
under his protection, but now she stands at his 
bed-side, marking the approach of the fatal hour, 
and aiding him, by prayer and counsel, to rest on 
the atonement of the Son of God. 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 47 



This sudden and painful providence gave her 
a shock from which she never fully recovered. 
While the infirmities of age became more dis- 
tinctly marked in her physical structure, her mind 
lost much of its energy, and the faculty of memory, 
once so remarkably retentive, became defective. 
Her correct judgment, however, her quick percep- 
tion, and decision of character, remained with her 
to the close of life. 

Sadly we lowered into the grave, beside the 
ashes of his departed father, the remains of this 
aged widow's son, feeling that the church had sus- 
tained a great loss in his removal. On a beauti- 
fully sculptured block of Italian marble, erected 
to his memory by his affectionate and heart-stricken 
mother, is the following inscription : — 

David Jenkins, 
Son of Robert and Catharine Jenkins, 
Born, December 6th, 1800, 
Died, May 22d, 1850. 
Urbane in his manners ; classic in his taste ; refined 
in his feelings; a Christian in his principles. He was in 
life highly esteemed and tenderly beloved, and in death 
deeply and painfully lamented. 

At his death, his mother became the proprietor 
of the Windsor Estate. As she felt admonished, 



48 • A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 

by the accumulation of years, that the period was 
drawing near, in which, she must bid adieu to the 
scenes around her, she resolved to perpetuate her 
influence in sustaining the gospel in the Churches 
in which she worshipped. September 18th, 1850, 
the Trustees of the Cedar Grove, and the Trustees 
of the Caernarvon Church, met in the village of 
Churchtown to receive a donation for their respec- 
tive congregations. On this day she presented to 
the Cedar Grove Church, one thousand dollars, to 
be loaned on judgment or mortgage on real estate, 
and the annual proceeds to be appropriated towards 
the payment of the pastor's salary. At the same 
time, she also gave to the Church of Caernarvon, 
one thousand dollars, to be loaned as above, and as 
much as is necessary of the annual proceeds to be 
used in keeping the church-yard enclosed by a sub- 
stantial fence, and the balance towards the pay- 
ment of the pastor's salary. The mortgage given 
to her by the Trustees of the Caernarvon Church, 
December 22d, 1846, for six hundred and fifty-five 
dollars and seventy-three cents, she also released 
on that occasion. 

After receiving the above donations, the Trus- 
tees drew up articles of trust, which they signed, 
sealed with the corporate seal, acknowledged, and 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 



49 



delivered, together with a copy of the following 
resolutions, into the hands of Mrs. Catharine M. 
Jenkins. 

"Whereas, Mrs. Catharine M. Jenkins, of Wind- 
sor Forges, has this day, with great liberality, given 
into the hands of the Trustees of the Cedar Grove 
Presbyterian Church, of East Earl Township, Lan- 
caster County, the sum of one thousand dollars, in 
trust; and, 

" Whereas, she has also given into the hands of 
the Trustees of the Caernarvon Presbyterian Church, 
of Lancaster County, an equal sum of one thousand 
dollars, in trust; the annual income of which said 
sums is to be appropriated towards the maintenance 
of Divine service in' the Churches which we, the 
Trustees thereof, represent, according to the spe- 
cifications contained in the ' Declaration of Trust/ 
signed, sealed, and acknowledged by us, this day; 
and, 

" Whereas, the said Mrs. Catharine M. Jenkins, 
has, most liberally, released all claim to, and for- 
ever discharged, the said Caernarvon Presbyterian 
Church, from the payment of a mortgage held by 
her on said church building, to the amount of six 
hundred and fifty-five dollars and seventy-three 
cents; 
5 



50 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



" Therefore/ Resolved, that in behalf of the 
Churches and congregations which we, the Trus- 
tees thereof, represent this day, we tender the gene- 
rous donor of the above sums, our sincere and heart- 
felt gratitude. 

"Resolved, that the thanks of these Churches 
are specially due on the present occasion; inasmuch, 
as these liberal donations will enable them, in con- 
nexion with their own contributions, to sustain a 
pastor. 

"Resolved, that we express the high gratification 
it affords us to take charge of these funds, to aid in 
the maintenance of Divine service in our Churches: 
one of which churches, the donor of these sums 
was especially instrumental in establishing; and in 
the other of which she has worshipped as a mem- 
ber, for more than half a century. 

"Resolved, that we trust she shall not only be 
rewarded in this life by the consciousness of a sense 
of gratitude abiding in the hearts of the recipients 
of her kindness; but, that she may also have the 
happiness in heaven, of seeing these Churches in- 
strumental in the providence of God, in extending 
the Redeemer's kingdom; and that it may be her 
privilege to welcome to those blissful regions, many 
chosen spirits of earth, long after the present scenes 
and the present generation shall have passed away. 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 



51 



"Resolved, that a copy of these resolutions be 
signed by all the Trustees, of each of the aforesaid 
Churches; and a committee be appointed to present 
it to the generous donor of the sums above men- 
tioned." 

Mr. Alexander Gait and B. F. Bunn, M. D., 
were appointed on that committee; and a copy of 
the above resolutions was presented by them to Mrs. 
Catharine M. Jenkins, signed as follows: — 

JOHN MARTIN, 
ALEXANDER GALT, 
DAVIES WALLACE, 
GEORGE WALLACE, 
HENRY RANCK, 

Trustees of the Cedar Grove Presbyterian Church. 

JAMES M'CAA, 
WILLIAM SHIRK, 
B. F. BTJNNj 
EVAN ROGERS, 
LOT ROGERS, 

Trustees of the Caernarvon Presbyterian Church. 

In addition to these donations, she contributed 
liberally towards every benevolent enterprise in 
which her Church embarked. In the erection of 



52 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



the Cedar Grove Manse, in 1850, and in the re- 
modelling of the Cedar Grove Church-edifice, in 
1853, three thousand eight hundred dollars were 
expended; five hundred of which were contributed 
by her, and the balance by the rest of the congre- 
gation. 

The Caernarvon Church was built for the pur- 
pose of accommodating with preaching on Sabbath 
afternoon, that portion of the Cedar Grove congre- 
gation who resided in the vicinity of Windsor. 
This enterprise originated with her and her hus- 
band, and shared largely in her beneficence. Her 
contributions to the erection, furnishing, and re- 
pairing of this house of God, and to the ornament- 
ing of the yard, together with the donation pre- 
sented September 18th, 1850, for the maintenance 
of Divine service there, amounted to three thou- 
sand three hundred and thirty-five dollars. 

In 1853, the congregation who worship in the 
Caernarvon Church, and others residing in their 
vicinity, resolved to erect a building, to be used as 
a Classical School under the supervision of the 
church. This house, a neat two-story stone edifice, 
occupies a position immediately adjoining the Caer- 
narvon Church-yard; and is the property of the 
church. This Institution is liberally patronised 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 



53 



by the public, and bids fair to become the agent of 
accomplishing much good. To the erection of this 
house, she contributed eight hundred dollars. 

While she extended, with a bountiful hand, her 
beneficence at home, she withheld not her assis- 
tance to the cause of religion abroad. The various 
Boards of the Presbyterian Church received her 
annual contributions, while innumerable private 
solicitations were replied to with donations. 

Long will the poor, who constantly called at her 
door, remember the hand that supplied their ne- 
cessary wants. To them she always gave with libe- 
rality and cheerfulness. On one occasion, a men- 
dicant expressing his gratitude exclaimed, "God 
bless you, madam." She quickly replied with a 
smile, "God has blessed me. Go and make good 
use of what I gave you for your family." 

From a statement kindly furnished by James 
M'Caa, Esq., who had the charge of her finances, 
we find that her contributions to benevolent pur- 
poses, during the last six years of her life, inde- 
pendent of the small donations, which none knew 
but herself, have amounted to seven thousand eight 
hundred dollars. 

One year before her decease, she experienced at 
the hand of her Heavenly Father" another painful 
5* 



54 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



providence. The pestilence that walketJi in dark- 
ness was doing its fearful work on the banks of the 
Mississippi, and finally reached the abode of her 
only surviving son, John Carmichael Jenkins, M. 
D., who resided near Natchez. The partner of his 
bosom was attacked; and soon he saw her lowered 
into the grave. A few days after her decease, its 
deadly influence pervaded his system; and, on the 
14th of October, 1855, he sank into the cold em- 
brace of death. His aged mother, now standing 
on the borders of the grave, receives the intelli- 
gence that her son has fallen a victim to the Yel- 
low Fever. With resignation to her Father's will, 
she bows her head to receive this stroke, knowing 
by experience, that it can be lightened by drawing 
near to the hand that gives it. 

Her days were now drawing towards a close. 
The love to God and his kingdom, which was in- 
fused into her heart when she gave herself to Him 
at the age of eighteen years, is now absorbing her 
attention as she reaches the period of eighty-two. 
On the 31st of August, 1856, she visits, for the 
last time, the sanctuary in which she had wor- 
shipped from the days of her early youth. If Pro- 
vidence had given her the choice, we are persuaded 
from the prevailing impulse of her heart, that this 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 55 

was the spot she would have selected as the scene 
of her last interview with the world. Disease had 
marked her for its victim, and was, even now, 
taking hold upon her system. As she returns 
from the house of God, she enters "Windsor Place 
to leave it no more, until she is called to the sanctu- 
ary above. This afternoon she finds it necessary 
to recline upon her bed. In a few days her disease 
becomes developed, and the painful truth is evident, 
that she must pass through a spell of typhoid fever. 
Under this disease she slowly sack, until at length, 
with scarcely any pain or uneasiness, the tide of 
life began to ebb towards a close. When those 
who called upon her inquired how she felt, she 
generally replied, "remarkably comfortable As 
disease was gently loosening the cords of life, 
every attending circumstance conspired to smooth 
her pathway to the grave. At her bed-side were 
all her daughters, with the tender hand of filial af- 
fection, ready to anticipate every want. Here was 
her eldest, married to the late Philip "Wager Rei- 
gart, of Lancaster. Here was her second, mar- 
ried to the Rev. John W. Nevin, D. D., of Lan- 
caster. Here was her third, married to the Rev. 
John W. Scott, D. D., President of Washington 
College, Pennsylvania. Here was her fourth, mar- 



56 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



ried to Hanson Bently Jacobs, Esq., of Church- 
town, Lancaster County. Here was her fifth, mar- 
ried to the Rev. William W. Latta, pastor of the 
Presbyterian Church of Waynesburg, Chester Co. 
Here was her sixth and youngest, married to the 
Rev. Alfred Nevin, D. D., pastor of the Second 
Presbyterian Church of Lancaster. Here was her 
aged half-sister, Miss Phebe Carmichael, who was 
now drawing near to the close of her ninetieth year; 
and who had been, during the last fifty-six years, 
her companion at Windsor Place. Here was her 
younger half-sister, Mrs. Franeina Allen. All 
these are members of the Presbyterian Church. 
Such were the external circumstances with which 
this aged disciple of Jesus Christ was surrounded 
on her death-bed. But that which smoothed her 
pathway to the grave more than all the attention 
and sympathy of her friends, was the grace of her 
Father in heaven. As this trying hour arrived, 
she could look onward into the future world, with 
that confidence in the promises of her covenant 
God, which had sustained her amid the scenes of 
a long and eventful life, and which she knew, could 
equally uphold her in the solemn hour of death. 
She could say, "I know whom 1 have believed, 
and am persuaded that he is able to keep that 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 



57 



which I have committed unto him against that 
day" With calm resignation and unwavering 
faith in Christ, she met that solemn hour, beauti- 
fully illustrating the character that could feel as 
well as say : — 

"My lifted eye, without a tear, 
The gathering storm shall see; 
My steadfast heart shall know no fear, 
That heart shall rest on Thee. " 

The hour at length arrives. Death lays his cold 
hand upon her heart and gently chills the genial 
current of life. Her connexion with earth is 
severed; and this child or providence, attended 
by the Angel of the Lord, finds a mansion pre- 
pared, by her adored Redeemer, in the Paradise on 
high. 

Such was the closing scene of the life of Mrs. 
Jenkins. On Tuesday, the 23d of September, 
1856, as the rising sun was gilding the mountain- 
side, she passed away: 

<£ As sets the morning star, which goes 
Not down behind the darkened west, nor hides 
Obscured among the tempests of the sky, 
But melts away into the light of heaven." 



58 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



Sixty-four years she had been a member of the 
church of Christ, and departed this life ; at the 
age of eighty-two years and two months. 

On Thursday, the 25th, her friends were assem- 
bled to deposit her body in the grave. This spot, 
in the Caernarvon churchyard, where now her ashes - 
moulder, she selected, after the death of her hus- 
band, to be the resting-place of her remains. 
Her funeral was attended by a large concourse of 
friends, among whom were an unusual number of 
the ministers of the gospel, the class of persons 
with whom she had loved to associate, and whom 
she would doubtless have desired to be around her 
grave. In the religious services of the occasion, 
the Rev. J. N. C. Grier, D.D., pastor of the Pres- 
byterian Church of the Forks of Brandywine, the 
Rev. H. Harbaugh, pastor of the German Re- 
formed Church of Lancaster, and the Rev. B. V. 
Gerhart, President of Franklin and Marshall Col- 
lege, Lancaster, participated. The sermon on the 
occasion was delivered by her pastor, the author of 
this sketch. 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. .JENKINS. 



59 



SERMON. 

11 They which are fallen asleep in Christ" — 1 Cor. 
xv. 18. 

In this apostate world we are fearfully familiar 
with death. It meets us under every variety of 
aspect^ and in every avenue of life. The fre- 
quency with which we witness its ravages does 
not, however, divest it of any of its terrors. The 
little child, standing at the bed-side of a dying 
mother, trembles, as he sees the cheeks turn pale, 
and the eyes, once beaming with affection, grow 
dim in death. The aged man, who has a thousand 
times stood in the chamber of death, trembles, 
equally with the little child, as he marks the fell 
destroyer laying his icy hand on the human heart, 
and arresting the genial current of life. Death is 
indeed the king of terrors. Everything associated 
with it is fearful in the extreme. 

' 'The groan, the knell, the pall, the bier, 
And all we know, or dream, or fear, 
Of agony, are thine." 



60 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



Why is it so? It is not the physical suflering 
attending it that gives it this instinctive awfulness. 
The immediate harbinger of death is insensibility. 
While we mark the convulsive agitations of sink- 
ing nature; the quivering pulse; the laboured 
breathing, ushering in the article of death; the 
sensorium, unable to do its work, conveys no sen- 
sation to the soul. Whatever may have been the 
suffering previous to this, the moment of death is 
a period at which the soul is unconscious of the 
sinking of its earthly dwelling-place. The break- 
ing of the heart-strings is a figure referring, not 
to the physical, but to the mental; not to expiring 
nature, but to the instinctive shrinking of the soul 
from the fearful anticipations of the future. Death 
is the wages of sin. It is this that gives it all its 
horrors; it is this that constitutes it the king of 
terrors. There is a voice that speaks within us, 
as well as a voice that speaks through the volume 
of nature, and the volume of inspiration, without 
us; telling us that-nian is a sinner, and conse- 
quently exposed to the wrath of God. Oh ! it is 
the judgment awaiting us, at the throne of the 
Eternal, that gives to death its terrors. Had man 
maintained his allegiance to God; and had it 
pleased the great Creator to transplant him from 



OF MES. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 



61 



this world, to a spiritual and brighter sphere of 
existence, no matter how great the change to be 
wrought upon him, it could not be painful, it 
could not be repulsive. No fear of evil could be 
associated with it, no horrors cluster around it. 
The heart, untainted by sin, and resting in full 
confidence on God's everlasting love, could know 
no pain, could fear no ill. 

Something approximating this condition is the 
death of the righteous — the redeemed of the Lord. 
While the tabernacle is being taken down, the 
spirit, reposing within it, is at peace with God. 
" There is no condemnation to them which are in 
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, hut after 
the spirit." Although the emancipated and adopt- 
ed child of heaven is still a sinner, there is an in- 
finite fund of righteousness laid up for him through 
the atonement of the Son of God. To him, the 
anticipation of entering the dark valley of the 
shadow of • death may indeed be attended with 
much that is painful and foreboding of evil ; but, 
as he reaches that valley, he finds the Star of Beth- 
lehem there, to guide him onward to the realms of 
eternal light. As he draws near to the borders of 
the future world, he finds himself sustained by the 
everlasting arms of Jesus Christ. In the midst of 
6 



62 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



the convulsive agitations of sinking nature, he 
hears the voice of infinite love, exclaiming, "Fear 
thou not, for I am with thee: be not dismayed, for 
I am thy God" Oh! could the physical strength, 
that is now exhausted, be called back to the sink- 
ing tenement of the soul, those who are weeping 
around this death-bed'would hear the voice of ex- 
ultation exclaiming, " death, where is thy sting? 
grave, where is thy victory? 

Such is the contrast between the death of the 
mere citizen of the world, and the departure of the 
redeemed of Christ. To the former, the fell de- 
stroyer comes, as the king of terrors, to execute 
the unmitigated sentence pronounced in Eden : to 
the latter he comes divested of all his horrors — he 
comes as a messenger, under the command of the 
Father of the adopted child, to strike from around 
it the chains that bind it to earth, and emancipate 
it, from its tabernacle, to start for its home in the 
Paradise on high. 

Hence the Scriptures speak of the death of the 
righteous under the figure of sleep. For instance, 
it is said of Stephen, at the moment of his martyr- 
dom, that he fell asleep. Peter, speaking of the 
death of the fathers, says, that they fell asleep. 
Our text, also, refers to the departure of God's 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 



63 



children under the same striking figure. " They 
which are fallen asleep in Christ." This figure 
carries with it peace and comfort to the Christian, 
as he looks forward to that important crisis, when 
he must bid adieu to the scenes of earth to enter 
upon those of the eternal world. Let us, there- 
fore, spend a few moments in tracing the analogy 
doubtless intended, by the Holy Ghost, to be in- 
ferred from the language used. 

I. Sleep is a state of repose. 

Sleep comes not to him who is writhing under 
physical or mental suffering. It casts its soothing 
influence only on the system of him who can re- 
cline upon his couch in peace and tranquillity. 

"The wretched he forsakes: 
Swift on his downy pinion flies from wo, 
And lights on lids unsullied with a tear." 

In this, we find a striking resemblance to the 
condition of those who sleep in Christ. As you 
stand beside the coffin that contains the remains of 
a child of God, and gaze upon those placid fea- 
tures, do they not convey to your mind the appear- 
ance of sleep? Touch not that cold cheek — speak 
not to that dull ear — or the spell will be broken. 
But as you gaze in silence on that marble brow, 



64 A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



you see the loved one, as it were, in a state of re- 
pose, after the toils of a weary day. You follow 
the dear departed spirit into the eternal world, and, 
with the eye of faith, you behold it, not writhing 
under the horrors of a sleepless death, but reposing 
in the presence of Jesus, and enjoying that rest 
which remaineth to the people of God. ' 

II. Sleep comes at the close of the day. 

It comes at a time when exhausted nature seeks 
repose. It comes when the toils, the cares, and 
the sorrows of the day are ended. It comes to 
cast a period of oblivion over the past, and invi- 
gorate for the duties and enjoyments of the future. 
It comes under circumstances specially prepared to 
welcome its approach. The sun - has gone down; 
night has drawn her dark curtains over the world; 
all nature is at rest; and everything around invites 
man to repose. It is thus with those who sleep in 
Christ. When this solemn hour arrives, it termi- 
nates the toils, and cares, and sorrows of life. The 
conflict of the soul with Satan, the world, and its 
own corruptions, is experienced no more. The 
sword is laid down for the reception of the crown 
of triumph. The day of human existence is ended. 
The redeemed and tranquil spirit, u whose life is 
hid with Christ in God" is now gently drawn 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 



65 



by the cords of divine love, to enter upon its rest 
in the bosom of "the everlasting Father, and the 
Prince of Peace" 

III. Sleep is a state of transition from the dark- 
ness of night to the opening of another day. 

It is so with the soul that falls asleep in Christ. 
It is surrounded with all those associations that 
attend the close of the day of human life. The 
ills of the fiesh, the infirmities of age, and the 
sinking of nature, close in the night; while the 
emancipated spirit is making a transition from the 
darkness of its dwelling-place, to the realms of 
eternal light and glory. Oh ! how must the soul 
be overwhelmed with unutterable emotions of won- 
der, admiration, astonishment, gratitude and love, 
as it awakes in the likeness of Jesus, and finds it- 
self in the immediate presence of the throne of 
God ! Oh ! who can imagine the glory of its tri- 
umph, the fulness of its joy, and the depths of 
its gratitude, as the first accents of the song of 
redeeming love ascends, from its bosom, in the 
midst of the angelic choir! 

We have chosen this theme, to-day, because it 
is naturally suggested by the solemn occasion that 
has called us together. We think we have every 
reason to be confident, that she, whose cold, pulse- 
6* 



66 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



less body lies before you, is among the number of 
those who are /alien asleep in Christ. If so, how 
striking are the points of resemblance, in her case, 
to the figure employed in our text. 

I. Sleep is a state of repose. Such was empha- 
tically the character of the close of her existence 
among us. The whole period of her illness, under 
which she sank, passed away without an hour of 
physical or mental suffering. The destruction of 
the casket gave little uneasiness to the jewel re- 
posing within it. The tabernacle was taken down, 
while the immortal spirit scarcely recognised the 
progress of the fell destroyer. At length, when 
death completed his commission, and, with gentle 
hand, severed the cords of life, she sweetly fell 
asleep in Christ. 

"Without a groan, or sigh, or glance to show 
A parting pang, the spirit from her passed; 
And they, who watched her nearest, could not know 
The very instant, till the change that cast 
Her pallid face in shadow, dull and slow 
Glaz'd o'er her eyes." 

II. Sleep comes at the close of the day. This 
was eminently the case with her. Her sleep in 
Jesus came at the close of a long, eventful and 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 



67 



useful life — a life devoted to the service of the 
Redeemer. Inheriting from her father and more 
distant ancestors, the blessings of the covenant, 
G-od, in answer to their prayers, set her apart, in 
early youth, for himself. She has been a faithful, 
active, and influential disciple of Jesus Christ during 
two-thirds of a century. Endowed with unusual 
energy and decision of character, her influence has 
ever been deeply felt. Her temperament was ar- 
dent; and whatever her hands found to do, she did 
with her might. Her friendship was sincere; 
her disposition, cheerful and happy. These traits 
of character, sanctified by divine grace, gave her 
extensive influence in the cause of her Eedeemer, 
at the fireside, in the social circle, and in the world 
at large. YvHiile all who knew her admired her 
cheerful and amiable disposition, and loved her 
for the sincerity of her friendship, few could be 
insensible to the influence of her ardent attach- 
ment to the God of her youth. The benevolence 
of her heart always coincided with the ardour of 
her temperament. Appeals in behalf of the cause 
of Christ never failed to meet, in her bosom, with 
a cordial response. At home and abroad, her bene- 
ficence has been extended with a bountiful hand. 
Her praise is in the churches, not only of our own 



68 



A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY 



happy country, but in those of India, Palestine, 
Africa, and the Isles of the Ocean. She was one 
of the few who, possessing more than an ordinary 
share of the riches of this world, had the grace to 
use them in the service of the Lord. The remem- 
brance of many scenes in her life is embalmed in 
grateful hearts, cheered by her kindness and bene- 
ficence. Long shall her name be remembered in 
the Church of Cedar Grove, — the Church in which 
she worshipped from childhood to the period of 
eighty-two years, — and, while the solid walls of 
this church of Caernarvon, and those of the 
adjoining Institution shall stand, her influence 
must be felt in the vicinity of her own loved 
" Windsor." 

Here let us pause, not because all is said, but 
because time admonishes us to be brief. That 
open, placid countenance shall rest upon us no 
longer. That cheerful smile shall greet us no 
more. The immortal spirit is gone, and we are 
required to deposit the casket in the grave. This 
final resting-place has been, for many years, a spot 
sacred to her heart. At the close of the service 
of the sanctuary, as her pastor descended from the 
pulpit and received her arm, to sustain her feeble 
steps to the door of her carriage, she often advert- 



OF MRS. CATHARINE M. JENKINS. 69 

ed to the scene transpiring this clay, and pointing 
through that window to the spot, now prepared for 
her reception, she would say, "There I shall rest 
beside my dear husband and son." Yes, dear, 
departed friend, thine ashes shall rest in that sa- 
cred spot; there, in this solemn hour, the grave 
shall close upon them and retain them in its bosom, 
until that glorious morn, on which they shall 
arise, a spiritual and immortal body, worthy of 
being the eternal dwelling-place of a soul redeemed, 



THE END, 



